He also is a friend to Stamkos, whose MVP start to the NHL season was halted by gruesome injury on Monday. Stamkos is out indefinitely with a broken right tibia.

“I just felt terrible seeing that, seeing him — it looked like a lot of pain,” Crosby said after the Penguins practiced at Consol Energy Center on Tuesday.

Crosby “wished him well” in a text message sent within minutes of seeing video footage of Stamkos colliding with a goal post in Tampa Bay's loss at Boston.

Few players know what awaits Stamkos better than Crosby, who played in only eight games from Jan. 5, 2011 to March 14, 2012, because of concussion symptoms. That experience — especially the 10 months before his brief return in November 2012 — provided Crosby with a new perspective on the emotional toll that accompanies a lengthy absence from daily hockey activities, he said.

“There's so much you miss,” Crosby said. “For me, it was competing and being around the guys. When you're not around, you just can't be included like you normally are — and that's hard. I definitely have an appreciation for it because of what I went through. It's not a fun time.”

Crosby and Stamkos began this week tied for the league lead with 23 points. Stamkos — like Crosby (2005) a former No. 1 overall pick (2008) — paced the NHL with 14 goals for his surprising first-place Lightning.

Coincidentally, Crosby led in points (66) and was second to Stamkos in goals (32) when his 2010-11 season was stopped after 41 games because of a concussion.

Crosby warned not to rule out Stamkos from the 2014 Winter Olympics in February, but acknowledged that even a reputably deep hockey power such as Canada “can't replace a Steven Stamkos.”